6 degrees of separation
by TheLittleSmirk
Summary: Kai Hiwatari, the man who can't be moved finds his match after he saves the life of a girl. Follow the story of these two, filled with comedy, romance, obstacles of kinds and lurking pasts. Have fun and review please!
1. Chapter 1

Maybe it was the stupid grin that caught him off guard, or perhaps the wide blue eyes that sparkled with so much joy it made him sick to the stomach –it might have been the flaming red hair too, the bright color that made her stand out from the crowd. He surely didn't know what it was, but for a second, she caught his attention, the uniform she wore too big for her as she twirled in the middle of the street with one of her fellow students. His crimson orbs bored over the two girls as they went on the other sidewalk, across from him –the limousine was late, not that he minded since he got to explore the city where his boarding school was situated. At least he had one more year to go through and then he could chase his own aspirations –it had been a while since he last beybladed and the more time passed the more itchy it felt.

It took the loud honking of a truck to make him turn his attention to the closer laughter of the red haired girl from earlier and it took him less to realize what was going to happen. Without second thoughts, he lunged forward as the redhead stopped abruptly to stare horrified at the approaching truck that noticed her too late to hit the breaks. If only her schedule from school didn't slip out of her hand and in the middle of the street; her lips pursed together as the music in her headphones continued to soothe her tensed body at the approaching threat –however, he was there just in time to pull her violently out of the way with a strong yank into his chest and then on the pavement.

The redhead let out a gasp of air and her wide blues mirrored crimsons that didn't appear very pleased.

"Are you stupid?"

And those were the first words of her savior, words that got engraved in her mind as she realized she was still alive and well –she shakily stood up as her friend ran over to her aid, trembling at the very thought of the tragedy that could have happened if the male wasn't there.

"Oh God! Oh thank God, thank you so much –oh God!" the brunette continued, looking the redhead over with the worry of a mother "Rippu, why did you do that!? One day you will end up hurt! Where is this brain of yours, huh? This is what happens if you always wear those stupid headphones, you didn't even hear the truck!" she threw her hands in the air while the other girl kept staring, still shaken from the event "I'm fine" she finally muttered and then glanced at him, that glint in her eyes that he saw from the first time. Ignoring the sick turn of his stomach, Kai dusted himself off and turned to leave with no other words, but the annoying girl had other plans.

"Hey, you! Thanks! Now I have a debt to pay to you!"

He couldn't find sarcasm in her voice and as he glanced back, she was grinning that stupid grin of hers. "Hn –whatever " and he was lucky that his limousine finally pulled up to where he requested so that he could leave already because he felt as if he would puke very soon if he remained with those two any longer.

* * *

Churippu wasn't an ordinary girl. She was a dreamer! At least that's what she would tell herself in order to stand out from the oblivious and static. The ginger was from an average family with a single mother and a very annoying baby sister –luckily with no red hair that made her look like a carrot. In fact, that was one of the things she used to be called…along with gingerbread, menstruation, no soul, carrot top, bloody mary and many others she couldn't recall now.

Today she was different though! She got a second chance at life and it felt as if she was reborn. That's why she woke up early in the morning to prepare a special lunch box for the stranger that saved her. How did she know where to go? His uniform, the only boy's boarding school in the city and luckily, she was in an all girls boarding school that was not…far from his. Well, you did need to take the train there, and then a bus but still, it wasn't…that far. With positive thoughts in her mind, she went on to collect her debt and pay the boy for the fact that he gave her an opportunity to see things differently.

"It is time, Wendy!" the redhead exclaimed with her trademark grin that scared off boys on a 5 meter radius. Wendy was her only friend since kindergarden, a nerd as most would label her, dirty blonde hair and brown eyes behind big round glasses and faint freckles. Truth be told, she was a genius, only God knows how many times she saved Churippu from failing her classes and exams –she was a saint indeed.

"Don't you think it's inappropriate to show up in a school filled with boys only to give a guy you don't even know a lunch box? How will you even find him?" the blonde shook her head at the playful laugh that left the other girl.

"I will ask people about him, y'know, spiky blue hair, red eyes, uhh….kinda…uh, was he tall?"

"…this is going to be…exhausting" Wendy concluded as she rubbed her temples.

* * *

"It's Kai Hiwatari, one of the rich kids here, he's probably in class"

And they thought it would be hard to find him? It was enough to say blue hair, red eyes, serious face and average height. Apparently, he had quite a reputation here and as the two girls passed by the male students, the stares were inevitable, of course.

"See, Wendy? It was so easy!"

Whitney Prep School was not easy to figure out, especially if you weren't from around the place and the many hallways proved to be difficult to follow. In the end, before the lunch break was over, they finally found the class they were looking for and wasting no more time in her quest, Churippu slid the door open to reveal a few boys here and there and then her target.

A few seconds passed and silence fell over the others as they eyed the red haired girl with curiosity. With confident steps, the female walked in and to his desk and by the first impression, Kai thought she was going to kill him with that weird expression on her face –until she slammed a lunch box on his desk, earning a raised eyebrow from the beyblader.

"This is a little part of my debt to you" she grinned –that stupid grin again. With a frown, the male regarded her, trying to figure out if this was some kind of joke.

"How did you find me?" because this was more important given that it took her so little to pinpoint his location so accurately. "The uniform" –right, he was wearing it when he saved her ass from getting squished like a bug. It wasn't hard to look for him if she knew the school and it made sense now.

"I don't need your lunch"

"You don't have to need it"

"Then take it and leave"

"I'm not leaving until you take a bite" and with that, she pulled a chair from one of the desks and sat down, elbows resting on the back of it, eyes sparkling in that mysterious way that had him want to just tell her things that he wished he didn't think of. "That means the staff will throw you out. This is a private school" he muttered, leaning back in his chair.

"Do I look like I care? I owe you a debt and until I've paid it, I'm going nowhere"

And that explanation had him narrow his eyes at her tenacity. The girl only smiled and then glanced at her friend "Y'know…you can always step inside" "Rippu! Enough of this! We must go, what about our classes?" and for a split of a second, Kai caught the ginger irritated until it broke into a grin "You're too paranoid" and that was the end of the conversation, because Wendy just shook her head and left, this time making the weird girl frown and turn to him.

"You'd better eat that…I woke up early to make it" and she pushed herself off the chair and out the door, probably after her friend. The simple fact that she woke up to make this for him felt humiliating, especially said in front of everyone in the class –and no longer did he wait until he was assaulted by his colleagues.

"Kai, is that your girlfriend~" it started "No" and then it ended with just that and with him throwing the lunch box in the trash where it belonged.

* * *

At the end of classes, Kai was frustrated to find that same redhead waiting at the gates patiently, fidgeting with her scarf thoughtfully. Her long hair shone in the light of the setting sun in a way that made it look like a burning flame and when she noticed him and turned to face him completely, he was able to see the rest of her features from up-close, standing a bit too close to her for comfort. It was supposed to intimidate her, scare her off, but it only had her turn calmly at him and stare him down with those ocean blues and he got lost in that autumn breeze that passed them by and blew the dainty strands of her flames around, sprinkling them as if it was really a burning fire, reminding him of a phoenix.

Absentmindedly, he raised his hand and brushed those untamed strands out of her face and her only reaction was to close her eyes and flinch back –that had him stop and realize what he was doing, but also question her choice of reacting.

"Why are you stalking me?"

"I'm not! I'm paying my debt!"

"There is no debt, it's only in your crazy mind"

"Might be, but it's still there, you see?"

He wrinkled his nose and passed by her, standing still a few feet away and waiting for the limousine to pick him up again and get him home. "I'm planning to save you at some point if you were wondering what I was-" "I was not wondering" "Oh, well, you know now anyway!" she smiled brightly and stood there with him in silence.

"So….who are you waiting for?" but it was broken with her annoying voice again "My car" "Ooooh right, you're one of those rich boys" "Yes, I'm one of those, care to leave now?"

"It doesn't bother me if you're smug, you still saved my life" she shrugged and started humming to the noise in her headphones that now rested around her neck. Her theory made sense, not that he was going to say that, but it did and he had to say that being in the company of someone was…oddly nice, while he was waiting, even if said company was a probably retarded and mentally damaged girl that was now making a hobby out of stalking him.

The car finally pulled up and without a word to her, he climbed in and told the chauffeur to drive off. "GOODBYE KAI!" and it was loud enough for him to hear and the driver to hear as well, the female waving painfully at his window until the car pulled away. Glancing back, he noticed that she was walking in the opposite direction, which meant she took the bus and the train all the way here to see him off and then go back to wherever she lived.

"What an idiot"


	2. Chapter 2

Six degrees of separation 2

A week passed and every time Kai would finish classes, the redhead would always be there at the gates, waiting for him patiently as if that was her duty. It seemed that today was going to be the same by the splash of red that came in his view as he got closer to the gates. It was becoming something normal to the ones around them, the carrot top waiting like a crazy fangirl for her object of infatuation, but for Kai, it was getting unsettling, especially when he learned that her company wasn't that bad.

"And the stalker awaits" he rudely commented as he passed her by, to which she only grinned "Well, it's nice to see you too, Kai" –at least she learned that giving him the lunch box personally was taking time and now she had some junior send it to him –it still ended up in the trash like the first she gave him though. Today there was something different about her and as he glanced back, he noticed exactly what : she had smudged some kind of color on her lips, clipped her bangs to the side, used perfume and made her eyelashes look bigger and darker and..she didn't have the uniform jacket that made her look big which now showed him that she had a narrow waist by the line where she had tucked her blouse in her skirt.

"Trying to impress boys?" he finally concluded in the form of a question. The redhead's eyes widened a bit and she looked away with a frown "None of your business" and he didn't pry "Could care less" and with a shrug he climbed in the car that pulled up during their chit-chat. He didn't look back, but he knew she was now walking to the bus station but after a few minutes in silence and staring out the window, when they finally stopped at a red light, he realized he was wrong –the redhead passed by on the back of a bicycle, holding tight the sides of a boy and what bothered him most was the fact that she was enjoying every second that passed –that grin of hers, those sparkling with joy eyes as they zoomed by. She didn't even look at him! That alone annoyed him and he huffed, leaning back in his seat as he glared at the window of the car.

* * *

Earlier that day

It was so odd, being noticed by a boy like him. How did she know Marco? Well, let us start with the fact that they go to the same boarding school for talented children, Saint Laurent, where Churippu always wished to get in –she's actually very good with the saxophone, and Marco happened to play the piano, but when it comes to orchestra practice, they are both there –him being the cool boy that girls flock around while she was the outcast. Currently, the brunette was waiting patiently for her answer. An answer to what, you may ask…well…

"Do you want to go out with me?"

And all she could do was stare incredulously at him, mouth open and no words flowing out. The boy tilted his head to the side with a playful smile curling on his lips. "Matsuda?" and her last name made her close her mouth for a second and then open it again "Why?" the strangled question floated towards the boy that suppressed a chuckle. Of course, she was cautious, especially after someone paid a boy during freshman year to hit on her –and she actually fell for that and for the boy, just to be turned down and humiliated, laughed at as he was counting the amount he got to play this cruel prank on her for one month. The sad part was that she was actually happy during that month.

"Is this some type of prank, haha! Funny!" she exclaimed, grinning widely as she passed by him, only to be caught by the wrist "I'm not playing any joke on you" his green eyes peered at her as she glanced back with no trust in her eyes "I will prove to you that, we will spend one day together…I will take you anywhere after class" "—I have somewhere to go after class"

"Then tell me where to pick you up from"

It was worth giving him a chance, after all, the redhead wasn't the type to judge without knowing. Pulling her hand away from his grip, the girl went on her way, her mind going over the situation again. She even ended up begging Wendy for a hairclip, perfume, a brush and lipstick, having her best friend arrange her face somehow, as to not look completely gross.

It was at Kai's school that she chose to meet him and after the smug bastard left, as she would call him in her head, she counted the seconds until Marco showed up on his bicycle. "Hop on" and that she did, locking her arms around his middle as he zoomed by the familiar car –but Kai wouldn't look, or care, so it was futile to even wave at him.

The rest of the day was spent at theme park, where she got to try all kinds of rides with Marco, where he also tried hard to win prizes for her, but ended up getting her some cotton candy. As they finally settled from all the fun, the two sat on a bench while she ate the pink fluff daintily.

"So…are you having fun?"

A nod was all she gave, because her blues expressed more than her words could : joy, interest, playfulness and naivety. The raven haired male smiled broadly "We should go watch a beyblade match once" and that ruined it. Churippu wasn't a fan of beyblading, ever since this sport hit the popularity meter, mainly because she saw nothing interesting about it. However, she had to be flexible…after all, what other boy would be interested in her? "Sure"

"Great, there's this underground competition going on tomorrow night, I hear rumors one of the ex bladebreakers is going to compete" and the interest and passion with which he spoke of this made her realize that he was a fan of the game, much to her disdain. Oh well, what could she lose?

"Okay…"

"We'll talk more about it tomorrow, it's getting late"

And she was glad because now she could finally go home and pass out on her bed already.

* * *

He was definitely interested in the underground competition that took place in the city and he signed himself in as soon as he found out that evening from a colleague. The great Kai Hiwatari just had to sate his desire and not just his, Dranzer's as well. He had been itching for such an opportunity, after all and he had been training the whole night for a spectacular performance –no one wanted to see him win, which is exactly why he had to win.

The next day he was surprised to not receive a lunch box and he waited eagerly for the end of classes, a sting within his chest at the thought that she was happily going about the day with that guy. How could she forget about her debt!? How insolent she was. His fingers curled into fists and he glared menacingly through the window and towards the gates. It was the last class and he usually saw her running to that same place, but now there was no bright red waiting for him obediently, like a dog –oh no, she was not there and his eyes burned at that spot until class was done.

He stood there waiting his car as usual, but absentmindedly kept glancing back to maybe catch a glimpse of her, maybe she was running late –or she was with him. A snarl twisted at his face and as soon as the car pulled up he climbed in, not wanting to think about that retard anymore.

"Fucking retard" one of the few times he actually cursed. But he had more important things to concentrate on, like the matches from tonight.

* * *

Deciding on what she could wear was hard because she wanted out of the average zone and as soon as they entered the underground arena, she was glad for the choice she made. Lights were flaring everywhere violently while music blasted through every speaker, making it hard to understand one another. Everyone there was dressed oddly with marks on their faces, smiles that she could only avoid meeting and eyes that hungrily scanned rooms. Her simple straight dress his her figure, but exposed her nicely worked legs while the stripped stockings cut that view under the knee and the long white boots with quite a punkish design went well with the white dress that held the same details and a belt that stood loose over her hips. She had a black fluffy hoodie over her shoulders and stripped fingerless gloves –and of course, her headphones. She looked pretty darn cool if she thought so herself, but now she had to adjust her eyes to the dark of the huge arena she had no idea existed under the name of a bar…well, underneath it.

"Stay here, I'm going to get us some drinks" and with a peck on her cheek, Marco was gone before she could even complain about it. Pouting to herself, she stood in that place for what seemed like an eternity, until she caught sight of familiar blue hair. Which certainly reminded her that she forgot about that debt of hers towards said person –but hey, he wasn't going to die for a day, right? Guilt slowly seeped through her veins and she absentmindedly started wandering towards where she saw the boy, or what she thought was the boy.

Passing by squeezing bodies, the girl found herself in front of a metal door that was half opened and had no shame on entering the seemingly restricted area. After a few steps and eyes scanning the rusty walls did she realize she was in the competitors' quarters, where they got ready before the match. That blue streak of hair then made her glance away –it was him! He went inside a room and slammed the door shut by the echo that surrounded her and she didn't know why, but she ran to that door and opened it wide –at least she wanted to know she didn't go mad!

And there he was, staring back at her with wide eyes, two pair of blue streaks on both his cheeks, a completely different attire with a long white scarf that sat loose over his neck and shoulders, baggy pants, leather vest, fingerless gloves and tight black shirt underneath with combat boots –who was this boy that she was staring at?

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"M-ME? What are YOU doing here?"

She pointed a finger to his chest as his eyes roamed over her body, making her self-conscious and frowning, she turned her back to him. "Whatever! I don't care! I'm on a date and I have to go find him now" she muttered utterly annoyed "You didn't come today" he changed the subject with cold tinted eyes, to which she looked back "Not that you give a rat's ass –why are you here anyway? Beyblading is surely not your thing by the way you look" she snorted and he couldn't help but smirk amusedly at how oblivious she was to everything. He knew she was an idiot, but the extent to which that went, he had no idea of until now.

"Why don't you go stalk your boyfriend?"

And that made her leave with the slam of a door, with a very angry expression on her reddened cheeks, stomping and cursing all the way out of the quarters. She found Marco looking around for her frantically –at least someone cared.

"Where have you been? It's about to start!"

So it was about the show, not about her safety. With a grunt, she took the other drink from his hand and turned to look at the arena. The lights all turned towards the middle, the music stopped and the announcer appeared in front of the arena and silence fell over the sea of people.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen! This party is about to go down –we have four of the most famous beybladers with us here and hundreds of new faces and competitors, but who will take the trophy and the money home?"

So there were four like the ex bladebreaker Marco was talking about, Kai had no chance here, he was an amateur by the way he looked. Churippu shrugged him off and out of her mind almost immediately while she nibbled on the straw in her drink.

"We will now meet the four amazing beybladers from around the world!" and a roar of whistles and applause followed as four figures came out from underneath the arena –and she almost spat her drink in someone's hair when she saw Kai there "What the hell is he doing there? He's gonna get thrown out…oh gosh" and she was about to move and go get him off the stage when Marco looked at her weirdly "You know Kai Hiwatari? The ex bladebreaker?"

If someone would have taken a picture of her right now, it would have been priceless. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were widened to the most extreme 'That snob…that snob is a famous beyblader?' it had to get even better when Kai spotted her…by the color of her hair of course, the bright red that stood out from any crowd.

* * *

He smirked as he stood there in the spotlight, admired by millions of girls and boys, praised and respected as if he was a king –but not her, she didn't seem happy by the look on her face. He then realized she disappeared suddenly and his smirk turned upside down. Where was she? Why did she leave? Was she that impressed? If she was a beyblade fan, she sure was and the fact that she had been so close to a star –wait, if she knew about beyblade, how did she not recognize him from the start? That only meant she had no idea and now she was too embarrassed to even stay and watch as he crushed all the others –he couldn't impress her now, he couldn't show her how great he was and how pathetic her little boyfriend was in comparison –because that is what he earned for right now and he couldn't have it.

His grip tightened around Drenzer and his attention turned towards the other three around him : Bryan Kuznetsov, Lee Wong and Rick Anderson –not the best, but good and strong enough to keep the competitors busy…they all knew Kai would take the strongest while they were busy with picking the weeds.

"Good luck and LET IT RIP!"


End file.
